


U. S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR 

JAMES J. DAVIS. Secretary 

BUREAU OF NATURALIZATION 



SUGGESTIONS 

FOR AMERICANIZATION WORK 

AMONG FOREIGN-BORN 

WOMEN 




-ii^i^i^ '\^'\ 



WASHINGTON 

GOVERNMENT PRLNTING OFFICE 

1921 



vi^'^' 



^\ 



(FORM H.13.) K \ 



U. S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR, \^^ "^ 



BUREAU OF NATURALIZATION, 
WASHINGTON. 



SUGGESTIONS FOR AMERICANIZATION WORK AMONG 
FOREIGN-BORN WOMEN. 

In response to a questionnaire sent by the Bureau of Naturaliza- 
tion to all communities cooperating with it, much information has 
been received regarding work already accomplished for foreign-born 
women, as well as plans for future work. This information, to- 
gether with suggestions from pamphlets prepared by expert workers 
in the field, particularly that of Elizabeth A. Woodward, supervisor 
of women's classes, University of the State of New York, is here 
offered in the briefest possible form for the benefit of those who have 
not yet undertaken work of this kind, and in the belief that those 
engaged in this activity will find worthwhile ideas for future use. 

I. WHY SCHOOLING FOR FOREIGN-BORN WOMEN IS NECESSARY. 

A. Because America is no better than its hornes. 

B. Because the mother deter*nines the kind of home and the health 

and happiness of the family. 

C. Because thousands of foreign-born women have or will have the 

right to vote and they must be able to do this intelligently if a 
high standard of citizenship is to be maintained. 

D. Because the foreign-born mothers have much of the responsibility 

of determining what kind of citizens their children shall be- 
come. 

E. Because the schooling of the mother is the only effective way to 

enable her to take her full responsibility in the home and in 
the community. 

II. AIMS. 

It has been proved that certain results are possible in educational 
work with foreign-born women. The following, therefore, should be 
the aims : 

A. To help them to care for their children in the best possible way. 

1. In safeguarding their health. 

2. In guiding their conduct. 

3. By becoming their understanding companions. 

72963°— 21 iZ) L 

LISRARY OF CONGRESS 

NOV 2^1921 

DOOUMENToi UtViaiON 



AMERICANIZATION WORK AMONG FOREIGN-BORN WOMEN. 3 

B. To show them how to cooperate with the public school. 

1. By being able to appreciate their children's progress. 

2. By being able to deal directly with principal or teacher. 

3. In signing reports and writing notes. 

4. By meeting and working with other mothers. 

5. By realizing the need of keeping children in school as long as 

possible. 

6. By checking truancy. 

C. To help them to make better homes. 

1. By understanding and applying the simple rules of health, 

sanitation, and housing. 

2. By knowing how to market and shop to the best advantage. 

3. By being able to understand American customs, standards, 

ideals, and institutions. 

D. To lead them to gain more from, and give more to, the com- 

munity. 

1. By learning of the public facilities for the benefit of every 

family. 

2. By gaining a sense of responsibility to the neighborhood for 

making it the best possible place in which to live. 

3. By being able to understand the meaning of citizenship and 

the practical duties belonging to it. 

E. To make possible certain personal advantages to them. 

1. The friendship of at least one American woman, their teacher. 

2. Association with people outside their racial groups. 

3. Ability to find their way without fear to other parts of the 

city. 

4. Pleasure and practical help received from reading signs, 

posters, moving-picture screens, pamphlets, leaflets, news- 
papers, magazines, and books. 

5. Knowledge of how to transact xVmerican business and sign 

necessary documents. 

6. Intelligence in voting. 

III. HOW TO BEGIN THE WORK. 

A. Secure names of women who may need this help, from foreign- 

born leaders, public-school principals, teachers, kindergarten 
teachers, public-school and district nurses, ministers, priests, 
rabbis, foreign-born children in public schools, storekeepers, 
settlement-house workers, librarians, and the postmaster. 

B. Secure tactful, friendly women, preferably public-school teach- 

ers, to make neighborhood visits to build up confidence and 
friendly feeling. 

C. See that each visitor, who should be, if possible, the prospective 

teacher, has an introduction, to the home and a definite reason 
for calling which will seem natural and acceptable to the for- 
eign-born mother. '"''Europeans are notahJy more ceremonious 
than Amencans and tlierj resent intrusion. Moreover^ riative- 
horn VJ07fien have been indifferent or patroni-iinr/ in their atti- 
tude toward foreign-horn women so long that the latter are apt 
to he somewhat suspicious of a sudden display of interest.'''' 



4 AMEBICAlSflZATION WORK AMONG FOREIGN -BORN WOMEN. 

D. If the visitor does not speak the language of the women whom 

she is to visit she will probably need an interpreter for the first 
visit. This may well be a child who volunteers. 

E. While discussing such topics as the children, the school, home 

duties, foreign handwork to be admired, the husband's work, 
and other subjects in which the immigrant woman is interested, 
the possibility of attending a class in English may be naturally 
introduced. 

F. Try to get a leader among the neighborhood group to offer her 

home for a class which will meet while the children are at 
school. From 3 to 10 pupils may compose a class which may 
meet from one to two hours two or three times a week. 
(3. Classes may meet also in libraries, rooms near playgrounds, com- 
munity centers, social rooms of churches, rest rooms of fac- 
tories, in parks or pavilions, or in rooms in vacant buildings. 
As classes are organized, it has been found that one full-time 
home teacher, paid by the public-school authorities on the same 
basis as other teachers, can teach more than 75 women a week. 
The following program shows how this may be done : 



Time. 


Monday. 


Tuesday. 


Wednesday. 


Thursday. 


Friday. 


9.30-10.30 


Class 1 

Class 2 

Class3 

Class 4 


Class 5 

ClassG 

Class7 

Class 8 


Class 1 

Class 2 

Class3 

Class 4 


Class 5 

Class tj 

Class 7 

Class8 


Visitinc;. 


10.40-11.40 


Recruiting classes. 


1.00-2.15 


Preparation. 


2.30-3.45 


Conferences. 







Four morning classes may reach 8 people each 32 

Four afternoon classes may reach 15 people each 60 



H. A class of mothers may meet near a kindergarten or playground 
where small children may be left. Volunteers can often be 
found who will be glad to watch children during sessions. This 
is splendid work for girls taking kindergarten or nursing 
courses. 

I. If there appears to be no interest in learning English, offer to 
show the mothers how to cook food new to them, trim hats, 
make clothing for the children, or to take best care of the baby. 
Much English may be taught incidentally, and very soon the 
women will ask for a special class. 

IV. OVERCOMING DIFFICULTIES. 

A. If there are no teachers especially trained for this work, make it 

worth while for a day-school teacher possessing the right per- 
sonality to secure this training. If the school board will not 
make it possible for her to attend an institute or summer 
course, she may learn much through home study of the method- 
ology of Americanization. 

B. Arouse public opinion to stand behind the movement for estab- 

lishing a full-time teaching position for this work. 

C. Get the most influential clubs in the town to guarantee part of the 

salary if the board can not see its way clear to establishing this 
position. 



AMERICANIZATION WORK AMONG FOREIGN-BORN WOMEN. 5 

D. Don't be disheartened if only a small number of foreign-born 

women are interested at first. Small classes insure better 
attendance and more rapid progress, and they will advertise 
themselves. 

E. Aim to make the work " fashionable '' by having scattered through 

the foreign community several groups making rapid progress 
in English. Demonstrate how one home and neighborhood 
teacher maj^ reach from GO to 80 women each week. 

F. If a sufficient number of trained paid teachers can not be fur- 

nished, volunteers from clubs and churches may each teach one 
individual, but they should be trained and supervised by a 
public-school teacher, if there is no supervisor of home classes. 

V. TEACHERS. 

A. Necessary qualities. 

1. Symptithy, adaptability, tact, sense of humor, resourcefulness, 
optimism, imagination, sincere friendliness, freedom from 
racial or religious prejudices. 

B. Education and training to be desired. 

1. Completion of teacher's course in normal school, college or uni- 

versity or its equivalent. 

2. Regular course in methods of teaching English and other sub- 

jects to adults. 

3. Knowledge of neighborhood and racial groups. 

C. Home visitor and teacher the same person, if possible. 

D. Teacher employed and paid on same basis as day-school teachers. 

In a small community the teacher may have charge not only of 
home classes but of factory and hotel classes. 

E. Married women who have had teaching experience are especially 

valuable for this work. 

F. Women of experience and special training may volunteer to assist 

the regular teacher and act as substitutes. 

G. If supervision is impractical, teachers of women's classes should 

meet as often as possible for conference and interchange of 
ideas. 
H. An effort should be made to retain a permanent teacher for each 
group an entire year. 

VI. CARRYING ON THE WORK. 

A. Equipment for home classes. 

1. If possible, a large light room, well ventilated. 

2. Portable or roll blackboard. If tliis is not forthcoming, large 

sheets of wrapping paper and black crayon, or the reverse 
side of paper hangers' old sample books may be used. 

3. Pictures, note books, pencils, word, and phonetic cards. 

4. Charts on child welfare, child hygiene, food, better housing, 

and similar subjects, which may be obtained from national, 
State, and local organizations. 

B. Ways of holding attention and interest. 

1. Development of simple dramas and plays. 

2. Serving tea or simple refreshments. 



AMBRieAl*riZATIOIsr WORK AHOj^G FQItEIGl-I^-BORN WOMEIST. 

3. Occasional meeting togetlier of separate home classes. The use 

of a common tongne by women of different nationalities will 

Be a tremendous stimulus toward bringing others into the 

classes. 
4^. Meetings in public schools with clubs or groups of American 

women. 
6. Exhibits of educational charts and pictures, of collections of 

nature materials and garden products, and of handwork 

brought from the old country. 
6. Demonstrations of cooking food for babies, for children, for 

invalids, in using left-overs, in preparing American food new 

to them, 

I. Preparing and serving a supper in which the various courses 

represent dishes of national groups in the classes cooperat- 
ing. This may be followed later by another supper prepared 
and served according to American customs. 

8. Handwork meetings where work is done for children, hospitals, 

or the Red Cross. 

9. Handwork with kindergarten materials so mothers may under- 

stand what their children are doing in school. 

10. American games such as " bird, beast, or fish," " fruit basket," 

"I went to Paris," and "My ship's arrived," which help in 
the use of English. These may bring in names of animals, 
fruits, vegetables, furniture, cities, and States. 

II. Preparation and giving of entertainments which may include 

simple dramatizations, tableaux, and pageants. 

12. Picnics and excursions to local points of i-nterest such as health 

center, kindergarten, library, playground, museum. Later 
ones to city or town hall, court house, hospital, industrial or 
commercial schools which their older children might attend 
if the parents were better informed, and industries interesting 
to women. 

13. Use of suggestions given in Form H-2 furnished by the Bureau 

of Naturalization. 

VII. SUGGESTIVE LESSON TOPICS. 



The selection should be determined by the chief interests and the 
immediate needs of the women with the purpose of helping them to 
become acquainted with their new" environment. Themes may be de- 
veloped on the following topics : 



A. The home. 

1. General care. 
A good home. 
Hunting a good location for a 

home. 
Renting a house. 
A window in every room. 
Sunshine and liealth. 
Protection against fire. - 
How water is supplied to the 

home. 
Getting rid of garbage. 
A good kitchen and living room. 
Keeping out mosquitoes and flies. 



A. The home — Continued. 

1. General care — Continued. 
Opening AAindows for ventilation. 
Reporting to the board- of health. 
Sanitation. 

2. Food. 

Setting the table. 

A family breakfast, luncheon, sup- 
per or dinner. 

Food for an invalid. 

Fruit and vegetables, milk, eggs, 
meats. 

Simple desserts. 



AMERTCAEriZATION- WOKK AMOKG FOEEIGS'-BOEN' WOMEF. 



A. The home— Continued. 

2. Food — Continued. 
Box lunches. 

A family r-icnic luncli. 
Simple refreshments for a party. 
Canning and preserving. 
Food for children. 

3. Clothing. 

Suitable play clothes for children. 

Clothes for school children. 

Knitting and enihniidery. 

Making over garments (illustra- 
tion, child's dress from a skirt, 
boy's suit from father's old over- 
coat). 

Mending lessons. 

Dressing a doll. 

A mother's house dress. 

4. Beauty in the home. 
A window garden. 
The backyard. 

The vegetable garden. 

The walls of the house. 

A beautiful picture. (Select one 

for a lesson.) 
Colors for curtains and pillows. 
Harmonious colors for a room. 
Good taste in home furnishing. 

B. Child welfare. 

1. The hah II. 
Feeding the b.nby. 
Weighing the baby. 
Bathing the baby. 
The baby's clothes. 
Pure milk. 

Care of milk and bottles. 
Weaning the baby. 
The baby's food. 
Fresh air for the l)aby. 
Calling for the doctor. 
Playing with the baby. 
Simple lullabies. 
Learning to walk. 
Learning to talk. 
The baby's birth certificate. 
The baby a citizen. 

2. rfiysieal earc of ehildren. 
Keeping children well. 
Protection from contagious dis- 
eases. 

Providing the children with hand- 
kerchiefs. 

Care and protection of e.ves and 
ears. 

Care and protection of feet. 

Care of throat. 

Adenoids and tb.eir effect. 

Increasing children's weight. 

Food and care for a sick child. 

Lunches for school children. 

Children's sleep. 

Bed time. 

Physical effects of lato hours. 

Physical effects of tea and coffee. 

Physical effects of over excitement. 

Physical effects of moving pic- 
tures. ■ 



B. Ch:ld welfare — Continned. 

2. J'In/.sieal eare of ehildren — Con. 
IMiysical effects of fear. 

Effect of sympathy and kindness 
on health iind development. 

The school nurse. 

Reading lessons from cliild wel- 
fare or health charts. 

3. Intelleetital and moral develop- 

nient. 

Visiting the kindergarten and 
school. 

Visiting the playground. 

Outdoor play and its supervision. 

Visiting the museum. 

Visiting the zoological garden. 

An excursion to the park. 

A holiday picnic. 

Going to the circu.s. 

Home celebrations. 

The children's liirthdays. 

A good playmate. 

Courtesy in the home. 

Chihlren helping in the home. 

Keeping the streets clean. 

Children's spending money. 

Books for cliildren. 

Harmful and wholesome comic pic- 
tures. 

Good fun for ehildren. 

Good moving pictures. 

Suitable songs for children. 

Poetry foi" children. 

Shoi't stories of the homelands. 

Beautiful customs of the home- 
lands. 

Value and rights of children's 
pets. 

Harmful effects of frequent- 
threats. 

Keeping promises made to chil- 
dren. 

Truth and falsehood in child life. 

C. The mother and the neighborhood. 

M;!rketing. 
Sliopi)ing. 
Mailing a letter. 
Ileiix'd by a policeman. 
Clean-up day. 
Using the telephone. 

D. The mother and the school. 

Entering a child in the kindergar- 
ten. 

Entering a child in the grade 
school. 

A'is'ting the school. 

Visiting the kindergarten. 

The school eidcrtainment. 

The school mothers' meeting. 

The parent-teachers' association. 

lU'freshments for a social. 

The school garden. 

The visiting school nurse. 

The school doctor. 

Children's reports. 

The truant child. 

The night scliool. 



8 



AMERICANIZATION WORK AMONG FOREIGN-BORN WOMEN. 



E. The mother and the community. 

Going to the library- 
Taking out a library card. 
Newspapers. 

Going to the moving-picture show. 
Going to the theater. 
Going to the concert. 
Beautiful builclhigs in the city. 

F. Ge:neral topics. 

1. Number ivorlc and money. 
Reading and writing numbers. 
United States money. 
On the street cars ; paying fare. 
At the market ; making change. 
Telling time. 

Taking a train ; cost of a ticket. 
Reading the time-table. 
The savings bank. 
Depositing money. 
Sending a money order. 



F. General tojpics — Continued. 

1. Numlier work and money — Con. 
Buying a ticket for concert, mov- 
ing picture, or theater. 

Measuring liquids. 
Measuring dry materials. 
Measuring clotli in dry-goods 

store. 
Weighing in grocery store. 
Keeping a small cash account. 
A family-budget account. 

2. Holidays. 

3. Sonys. stories, and history. 

4. Citizenship. 
Becoming a citizen. 
Cit'zenship of women. 
Citizenship of children. 

State and national laws about 
citizenship. 



VIII. WAYS IN WHICH VOLUNTEER WORKERS AND ORGANIZA- 
TIONS CAN HELP. 

A. Furnishing cloth for sewing classes. 

B. Furnishing caretakers for children while mothers are in class. 

C. Giving free music lessons. 

D. FolloAV-up work when pupils drop out of classes. 

E. Assisting trained teachers. 

F. Providing and furnishing model cottage to be used as community 
center. 

Helping to secure members for classes. 

H. Establishing gymnasium classes for factory girls. 

I. Organizing and conducting trips to points of interest in city or 
village. 

J. Giving by church organizations of programs on different coun- 
tries, and asking women of those countries to help. 

K. Influencing courts to request women to appear with their hus- 
bands for naturalization examination and to take oath of alle- 
giance with them. 

L. Calling for women and taking them to school class if home classes 
are imj^racticable. 

M. Paying for trained teachers if public school can not do so. 

]Sr. Furnishing prepared • substitutes in case of illness of regular 
teachers. 
Taking pupils in need of medical attention to free dispensary, 
baby welfare station, or visiting nurse, if they are unable to 
pay physician. 
Entertaining women in American homes. 

Taking mothers on shopping expeditions to stores where they 
can find good goods at lower prices. 



G 



O 



P. 

Q. 



IX. SOME RESULTS ACTUALLY ACCOMPLISHED 

CMsholm., Minn. 

Sewing and English class for elderly women grew from 11 to 150 
in a few weeks. 
Syracuse.^ N . Y. 

One hundred and three home classes reached 293 women. Eighty- 
two people were taught by 23 volunteer teachers — mostly college 



AMERICANIZATION WORK AMONG FOREIGN-BORN WOMEN. 9 

oirls taking courses in sociology and Americanization who are al- 
lowed credit if they devote two hours a week to this course. Home 
classes gave several little plays showing results of learning English. 
Milwaukee^ Wis. 

" The afternoon classes for women at the Ahraham Lincoln House 
are growing with leaps and bounds. We have now an enrollment 
of over 100 and in spire of the heavv rain vesterday an attendance 

01 (O.' 

Min neapoUs., Min n . 

Eight hundred and ten women tauglit in their homes. Fifty-one 
women sent to evening schools through the solicitation of their 
friends. Ninety-three students in training for teaching and 30 
volunteers supervised by member of Americanization department in 
the State university. 
Hughson^ Calif. 

Volunteer teacher aroused such keen interest among the foreign- 
born women that she was invited by the high-school board to join 
the faculty on half salary. 
Camhridge., Mass. 

"The afternoon classes have proven A'ery successful and have been 
conducted the year around. During the past two summers we have 
conducted 10 different classes, which prove very attractive." 
Woodbine, N. J. 

" The women organized themselves into different groups for self- 
improvement. Before election they wanted me to tell them how to 
mark the ballot." 
Buffalo, N. Y. 

Number of home classes, foreign women 31 

Total enrollment in these classes 352 

Total attendance (weekly) 312 

Number of afternoon sewing classes 11 

Total enrollment in these classes 123 

Total attendance (weekly) 108 

Detroit, Mich. 

" Fifteen classes in 10 centers meet four hours per week, ^rroll- 
ment is 303; average attendance, 105; 10 attendants to care for 
children." 
Bayonne, N. J. 

" This year we are teaching over 400 such women in groups of 5 
and 10. Seven teachers arc doing this full time. In addition to the 
instruction, these women meet in clubs in the afternoon and take up 
cooking, sewing, better babies, health, etc., visit points of interest 
in Xew York, attend theater in a body, etc. One hundred and fifty 
women in addition are taught in evening schools; many of these are 
recent arrivals in this country." 
Sioux Falls, S. Dak. 

" Work started September 4, 1920. Committee of 100 appointed, 
representing races and institutions, to cooperate in the work of 
Americanization. A four-day conference was held to instruct 
women interested in teaching in the homes and to spread the idea of 
Americanization. Home classes luiA'e been established in six homes 
and five others are waiting for teachers to come. A racial program 



10 AMEEICAlSriZATION WOKK AMONG FOEEIGN-BOKlSr WOMEN. 

on Syria was given at one of the churches at which Syrian-bom 
women helped. Social intercourse was developed." 

Saratoga /Sjjrings, N. Y. 

" We have organized six classes in the homes and found them most 
satisfactory. The women are anxious to learn American cookery in 
connection with the English. The older girls have sewing classes in 
the neighborhood house. More classes will be started as soon as satis- 
factory volunteer teachers can be obtained for the home work." 

jSt. Louis County^ Minn. 

" It will be noticed that the communities of St. Louis County show 
a night-school attendance of from 10 to 40 per cent of the day-school 
attendance. I do not believe that you will find many places in the 
United States that can show the same proportion. This is in a 
great measure due to the order of the court requiring women to 
appear with their husbands for examination, and also requiring them 
to take the oath of allegiance at the time their husbands are admitted. 
The result is that they are all getting interested." 

Fres7io, Calif. 

" We have been able to materially increase the interest in the home 
on the part of the women with whom we come in contact. Our work 
has created an interest to the point that the women now are asking 
for a great number of teachers and for more work along the line we 
are giving them. We have noticed a marked change in both the 
written and spoken English on the part of these women, but best of 
all, we have noticed a clecided change in their interest toward their 
homes." 

Akron, Ohio. 

" The home class work has been a more recent development in 
Americanization, but has been found to be of perhaps the most im- 
portance and value in all Americanization teaching * * *. In 
the beginning an attempt was made to hold the mothers' classes in 
the schools and club houses and social centers, but this did not prove 
universally successful. It was found to be necessary to take the 
Americanization class to the home of the foreign-born mother 
* * *. Up and down the unimproved streets, into the alleys, and 
the rear apartments, the home class teacher has gone to teach English 
in clean, bare rooms. Hers has been a tremendous task to teach her 
students a new language, and in so doing to teach American stand- 
ards and cleanliness, health for children, and civic pride. Twenty 
teachers are employed in this work. One thousand two hundred and 
eighty-six different students were registered in the home classes 
which meet in 329 homes, making a direct contact with some 1,200 
homes." 
Duluth, Minn. 

" First, I urge the foreign-born women to enter the three-night-a- 
week night school. Second, I urge them to enter the two-afternoon 
English classes. Third, I urge them to have a free volunteer worker 
teach them in the home two days per week. I am gathering a group 
of representative American women of ability to act as district chair- 
men of a large central committee whos€ work will be to help me find 
volunteer teachers." 



AMERICANIZATION WORK AMONG FOREIGN-BORN WOMEN. 11 

Los Angeles^ Calif. 

" Classes in sewiiifr, cookino:, Enoflish, and citizenship are ornfanized 
in many parts of the city and under all sorts of conditions. They are 
in operation in four railroad camps, in hospitals, in schools, after- 
noons and eveninfjs, in factories and lanndries, in the homes of the 
women, in short, under all kinds of conditions." 
Vtica, iV. Y. 

"This year in our eveninjr schools we have had nine classes of 
women, and seven classes where women study with men. In all 22Q 
women have reoistered in these classes. We have had a home nursing 
class for Italian women. tau<>ht by a Red Cross nurse. In the future 
we expect to have one for Polish women. We have also had one 
sewinfj class refjistering 20." 
PouyhJi'eepsie., N. Y. 

" We have had 36 women attending our evening school which was 
closed only recentl3\ Outside of this we have established five home 
classes for women, with a registration of 40. These classes are still 
running. The attendance is almost perfect and the interest shown 
in the work is really remarkable." 
Onomlaga County., N. Y. 

" The work has been started among women in five different com- 
munities in the county. In one community, Jamesville, we have 
two paid home teachers working two days a week from 1 to 4 o'clock, 
teaching sej^arate classes, if to 1 hour each. Some Avomen are able 
to attend night school and in these cases we do not provide home 
teachers. We are hoping to reach every foreign woman in the 
county through home classes in English, sewing, and Red Cross 
nursing courses. Also Ave are getting the American and foreign- 
born women acquainted in social gatherings and hope to make them 
all good American Avomen. AVe hope to cooperate Avith the Home 
Economics Department ix\ Syracuse University and thus get 
teachers." 
Nuth'i/^ N. J- , _ • 

'' Have helped eight Avomen in their homes. We haA-e a club of 25 
yomig Italina AA-omen aaIio are learning American standards." 
Shftron., Pa. 

" Since our report was prepared in NoA^ember, I am A'ery pleased 
to tell you that we haA^e made some progress with foreign-born 
Avomen and at the present moment luxA^e three classes for Avomen in 
operation, the total number enrolled totaling 16, Avith an average 
attendance of never less than 14. The Avomen liaA'e displayed a 
splendid interest and are making A^ery favorable progress. Two 
of the classes are of the type you suggest, home classes, and the third 
is held in conjunction Avith the men's classes in one of the public 
school buildings. The classes meet tAvice each week for a period of 
one to tAA'O hours." 
Caweroii., CoJo. 

" Work is also being carried on among the women in the camp 
who have just arrived from Europe." 
Neio-field, N. J. 

" Tavo Avomen Avere selected for experiment AA^ork. One, an Italian 
who has lived here for 10 years, speaks Avell but could read but 



12 AMERICANIZATION WORK AMONG FOREIGN-BORN WOMEN. 

poorly. She was given a phonetic primer and when the lessons 
closed this spring, was able to read any easy reading. The other, 
fresh from Italy, a woman of 43, a good student in her own tongue, 
is able at this writing to read and understand several hundred 
English words. The progress in conversation is not so rapid and 
will require much longer time. Some advise and assistance have 
also been given in sewing and cooking among a larger circle who 
have refused to take lessons in English or reading. It is hoped to 
arrange for a circulation of garment patterns similar to the loan of 
books from a circulating library." 
Toledo^ Ohio. 

"A home worker is employed to organize and supervise classes for 
foreign women. Teachers are volunteer workers so far. Expect 
to sell the proposition to the community so we can put in paid 
teachers. We have the following classes organized to date : Polish, 
6 women; French, 5 women; Syrian, 5 women; Polish, 3 women; 
Greek, 2 Avomen ; Bulgarian, 4 women. At the end of the year 254 
women had been enrolled.'' 

o 



